- The Sh 9.5 billion project will begin pumping 140 million litres of water daily into Nairobi and surrounding counties in two weeks once the testing and flushing of the 55-kilometre Bulk Water Transmission Pipeline is done.
- According to Principal Secretary for the State Department of Water and Sanitation Julius Korir, the project draws its water from Rivers Mathioya, Gikigie and Irati in Murang’a County.
Residents of Nairobi City and the larger Metropolitan area can now heave a sigh of relief following the completion of the multi-billion Northern Collector Tunnel project.
City dwellers have for decades, been faced with perennial water crises which will now be a thing of the past.
The Sh 9.5 billion project will begin pumping 140 million litres of water daily into Nairobi and surrounding counties in two weeks once the testing and flushing of the 55-kilometre Bulk Water Transmission Pipeline is done.
According to Principal Secretary for the State Department of Water and Sanitation Julius Korir, the project draws its water from Rivers Mathioya, Gikigie and Irati in Murang’a County.
He noted that the water is being channelled to Ndaka-ini dam in the Gatanga sub-county and treated at the Kigoro treatment plant before being pumped to Nairobi, Kiambu and parts of Murang’a.
In the plan, Nairobi will enjoy the lion’s share of the total water distributed, taking home 120,000 cubic meters per day, while Kiambu, Machakos and Murang'a will enjoy 7,000 cubic meters daily.
“Water rationing that has been a norm in Nairobi and the surrounding areas will be addressed significantly once this project becomes fully operational in two weeks' time,” the PS said.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the ongoing testing and flushing of the pipeline, Korir revealed that while the project will not completely solve water scarcity in the city, the project will significantly alleviate Nairobi’s water deficit.
He averred that the current water demand in Nairobi is 890,000 cubic meters per day against a supply of 560,000 cubic meters.
“This project will bridge the gap by pumping 120,000 cubic meters of water into the system per day. The Government is keen to implement other water projects that will fully address water shortage in Nairobi and its environs even as the demand soars due to increased population,” Korir said.
The Northern Collector Tunnel (NCT) System which was co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), the World Bank and the Kenyan government comprises several essential elements, including the Northern Collector Tunnel, the Kigoro Water Treatment Plant, Raw and Treated Water Pipelines, and the Eastern and Western Water Transmission Pipelines.
The PS who was accompanied by the Water Secretary, Eng SAO Alima, Athi Water Works Development Authority (AWWDA) Board Chairperson Charles Karondo, and Athi Water CEO Eng Joseph Kamau, said the government is committed to establishing key infrastructural developments to resolve water challenges in various parts of the country.
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During his visit, the PS who inspected the Irati intake also visited the ongoing flushing and testing operations of the 55 km Kigoro to Gigiri Bulk Water Pipeline, which will play a pivotal role in transporting the treated water to Nairobi.
“This project is very important in addressing the chronic water shortages in the Nairobi Metropolitan area. Its successful completion will significantly reduce the need for water rationing, thereby improving the quality of life for residents. I want to thank Athi Water for supervising this transformative water project,” he said.
On their part, Karondo and Kamau celebrated the completion of the project as a milestone saying it will bring to an end years of water scarcity to 1.2 million residents within the Nairobi metropolitan.
“We have created off-takes to benefit communities in Kiambu, Murang’a and Machakos counties. We have off-takes in Ruiru and Kiambu towns. This system will ensure that we substantially reduce water deficit and rationing programs that are prevalent in the city and surrounding areas,” noted Kamau.
“Although completion of this project will not completely solve water issues in Nairobi, they will get additional water. Our happiness is that the project has not left other communities behind,” noted Karondo.
Karondo also revealed that AWWDA has reached out to the Water Ministry and the regulator, Water Services Regulatory Board (Wasreb) seeking permission to control and regulate water from the NCT project as well as Ndakaini Dam.
This, he said, will ensure that Murang’a County residents are satisfied and their request to President William Ruto heeded. Residents had earlier pleaded with the Government to be supplied with sufficient water before it is pumped to Nairobi.
At the same time, Karodo called on the management of Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company to put in place rigid measures to curb Non-revenue water so as to reduce losses and ensure that the essential commodity reaches to many residents.
The Northern Collector Tunnel is part of a master plan development strategy for new water sources for Nairobi and 13 satellite towns up to the year 2035.
The project comprises Kenya’s longest tunnel, designed to harvest flood water flows from three rivers in Murang’a County into the existing water supply infrastructure at Ndakaini dam, the main water source for Kenya’s Capital, Nairobi.